Gutter screen clip



Oct. 22, 13957 v.,l. M. BEARDEN 2,810,173

GUTTER SCREEN CLIP original Filed April 2. i948 INVENTOR:

A 7' TONE YS.

United States Patent GUTTER SCREEN CLIP Joseph M. Bearden, Taylors, S. C.

substituted for abandoned application Serial No. 13,672, April 2, 1948. This application March 12, 1954, Serial No. 415,901

1 Claim. (Cl. 24--81) This invention relates to gutter screen clips, and particularly to a special clip for gripping the'edge of a gutter on the one hand and the edge of a screen on the other hand.

The main object of my invention is to provide a special securing clip for attaching protective screens to roof gutters and channels designed to prevent accumulation of leaves and 4the like in the gutters.

Another object is to provide -a securing clip of the indicated character which virtually has double functions, namely, to grip the edge of a protective screen as one function, and to independently grip the edge of the gutter to be protected by said screen as the other function.

A further object is to provide such a clip which is a metal stamping made from a single piece /of sheet metal.

`It is also an object to have such a sheet metal clip whichis so low in cost ythat it may be used in quantity and thus encourage general distribution among home owners likely to desire benefit from its use.

Other objects and advantages will appear in further detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of the invention, the latter is illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof and in which:

Figure l is a fragmentary section in perspective of a gutter provided with a protecting screen and clips securing the screen -in place and made according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of one clip made according to this invention and embodying one form thereof;

Figure 3 is another elevation of the same clip as seen from the right in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an eleva-tion of the second form of the clip;

rFigure 5 is a side elevation of the ,latter clip as seen from the right in .Figure 4;

Figure 6 is also a fragmentary section in perspective showing a portion of the screen located upon a dilferent form of gutter and illustrating one of the clips already mentioned on one side, but having a third form of the clip at the right side of the screen and gutter to secure the two together;

Figure 7 is an elevation of a clip embodying the third modification, as seen from the right in Figure 6;

Figure S is a side elevation of `the same clip as seen from the left in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a top view or plan view of the clip of Figure 8.

Throughout the views, the same reference numerals indicate the same parts.

Upon buildings and dwellings provided with roof gutters and the like for leading off water from the roof, especially in the country, it is a common experience to find that the gutter channels have become clogged, and in fact, sometimes completely stopped by accumulations of leaves and dirt due to the fact that these gutters have no protection against the leaves being blown into them by the wind. Several makeshifts have been resorted to in order to prevent such accumulations from occurring, and certain means have also been adopted with some success, as for example, by covering the gutters with screen mesh of various sizes and for-ms.

-I have found it very successful and satisfactory to cover such Ia gutter with a heavy wire mesh which is secured to the edges of the gutter by means of special clips which particularly constitute the invention about to be described.

' Hence, in the practice of my invention, and referring again to the accompanying drawing, the roof gutter, generally indicated at 10, terminates in an upwardly directed plain edge 11 at the left side, while at the right, the upper edge is rounded over to form a hollow bead 12, while upon upper edge 11 and the bead 12 is laid a screen, generally indicated at 13. By experience, it has been found that it is to the advantage of the house or building upon which the gutter is located to have this screen provided a short distance within its one edge 14 with a depressed V-shaped channel indicated at 15, which will tend to cause rainwater to gravitate into said V-shaped channel and drip into the gutter instead of partly traveling upon the screen and then rolling off the edge at the left 11 or the bead 12, and then creeping down outside the gutter and perhaps spoil-ing the finish of the latter and, of course, ruining the appearance of the same if it is painted in a light color. As mentioned, the channel or depression 15 eliminates this trouble and preferably is included in the screen 13 installed upon the gutter. v

However, gripping the left plain edge 11 of thegutter is a clip,y generally indicated at 16, embodying the jsalient features of the invention in advantageous form and including a pair of pendent clamping fingers 17, 17 spaced apart with their lower extremities bent inwardly away from the gutter wall at 18, 1S, the two tingers 17, 17 projecting in side by side spaced relation from a body portion or plate 19 and being disposed substantially at right angles thereto, the body portion or plate 19 having also another pair of wide clamping iingers 22, 22 projecting in side by side spaced relation therefrom. An auxiliary clamping iinger 20 is struck up from the intermediate part of the body portion or plate 19 and forms with such intermediate part a slot 21. The free ends of the ngers 22, 22 are bent down as at Z3, 23 and the free end of the finger 2t? is bent up as at 24 to facilitate entry of the edge 25 of the screen 13 between these lfingers. Independently connected with the iinger 20 and the wider fingers 22 is an exterior clamping plate 26 spaced just a short distance from pendent -fingers 17 in order to clamp the upper edge or wall 11 of the gutter 16 therebetween. It is to be noted that the loop portion 27 of the upper exterior iinger 2t? projects out beyond plate 26 in order to insure the projection of the edge 25 of the screen out over the upper edge 11 of the gutter and thereby prevent a gap from existing between this edge and the screen when viewed from above.

Turning our attention to the right edge portion or hollow bead 12 of the gutter, the screen terminates at 14 immediately above the top or crest 2S of this bead and upon the latter is mounted a clamping clip 29 having the arcuate body portion 31B which terminates at the upper end in a pair of wide end clamping fingers 31, 31 having the ends 32 thereof slightly bent outwardly in order to facilitate placing the clamp in place on the bead. At a higher level than fingers 31 are struck up two relatively narower clamping yfingers 33 which serve to clamp the edge 14 of screen 13 between said fingers and the relatively wider fingers 31.

In Figure 6, a slightly different form of gutter or roof channel is shown in which the side Wall 34 is virtually upright and terminates in the upper edge 35 upon which the clip 16 is mounted and secures screen 13 thereto in substantially the same manner as already described in connectionwith-Figure 1, and the upper edge 11 of gutter 10. However, in this case, the right wall 36 of this gutter terminates at the top in an inwardly directed llange 37 directed toward the opposite upper edge 35 of the gutter. In. this case, the right edge 14 of the screen overlie's fthe `ilange 37 and a special clip generally indicatedat 38 serves to hold the screen in place upon this flange. This clip includes a body portion having a pair of substantiallyhorizontal lingers 39, 39 projecting from one end,the free ends 40 bent slightly upward to-facilitate sliding the clip along the upper surface of thescreen, while a pair of relatively narrower clamping lingers 41, 41 are bent beneath or formed on the other end of the body portion and terminate in downwardly bent ends 42 Ato facilitate sliding beneath the vmentioned flange when installing the clip. Upon theintermediate part of Vthe body portion Vof this clip is an upwardly projecting linger piece 43 by which to manipulate the clip when setting it in place. i

As may A,be noted in Figure 6, when the clip is` to be placed in position, the two lower 4narrower lingers 41 are inserted in `the mesh of screen 13 and the clip drawn to the rightsuliiciently to shift the fingers 39 toward the right upon the screen whereas the lower fingers 41 slide beneath the upper liange 37 of lthe sidewall 36 on the gutter 44, the linger piece 43 being virtually necessary to the operation of placing the clip in position, as no other portion of the clip projects upwardlyl sufficiently to be gripped by the fingers.

iFrom the foregoing, it is evident that the screen may be placed in position upon a gutter or channel and readily held in place so that leaves and other articles will be prevented from accumulating in the gutter, while the installation of the screen and the clips securing it in place and in each case the clip is a unitary sheet metal article `having clamping fingers which engage not only the screen,

but the side or wall of the gutter,

This application is a substitute of my prior application Serial No. 18,672, liled April 2, 1948.

What is claimed is:

A clip for securing an edge of a protective screen to an edge of a roof gutter comprising a body portion, a `pair of clamping fingers arranged in side by side spaced relation projecting at substantially right angles from said body portion, another pair of clamping lingers arranged in side by side spaced relation forwardly projecting from said body portion at right angles to said first pair of fingers, an auxiliary clamping linger projecting forwardly from the intermediate part of said body portion and spaced above and in substantially parallel relation with respect to said another pair of clamping lingers and with its bight portion rearwardly of said body portion for receiving the edge of said screen, and a clamping plate dependingly carried by said auxiliary finger and said another pair of lingers forwardly of said bight portion and spaced rearwardly from said first named pair of lingers for clampingly receiving therebetween the edge of said gutter.

References Cited in the file of this patent 'UNITED STATES PATENTS 357,893 Banta Feb. 15, 1887 471,427 Lavallet Mar. 22, 1892 510,468 Buehl Dec. 12, 1893 1,346,393 Woodhouse July 13, 1920 2,351,525 Leary June 13, 1944 2,209,741 Sullivan July 30, 1940 

